Stopcock



A. EIMER AND W. T. WIEGAND.

STOPCOCK.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 25. 1919.

Patented Aug. 17 1.920

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

A. EIMER AND W. T. WIEGAND.

STOPCOCK. APPLICATION FILED $EPT.25, 1919.

Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUST EIMER AND WILHELM T. WIEGAND, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORS TO STUYVESANT GLASS COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

STOPCOGKQ Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

Application filed. September 25, 1919. Serial No. 326,804.

State of New York, and WILHELM '1. Wm-

GAND, a citizen of Germany, resident of borough of Bronx, in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and'useful Improvements in Stopcocks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to stop-cocks for use with apparatus such as is used for vacuum pumps and in all apparatus where it is necessary to maintain a high vacuum or air tight joint, and for other purposes, and our improvements are particularly directed to means whereby a mercury seal may be applied to thejoint effected by a stop-cock with its ground seat, to render such joint perfectly fluid tight without detracting from the readily revoluble. charac-.

ter of the stopcock within its seat.

Withthis and other objects in view, our invention consists, primarily, in the provision of means, between the stop-cock and its seat, at o posite sides of the usual trans verse or ob ique passage through the stopcock, that opens or closes communication with opposite branch pipes which extend from the shell or casing, whereby an annular packing of mercury may hermetically close any lengthwise passage for air or gas that might, through some irregularity in the production of the ground surfaces by which the stopcock and its shell engage,

otherwise permit the passage of air or gasespast the. joint.

employment of the closure device itself as the source of mercury supply with which the aforesaid inclosing seal is to be effected, whether that source be caused to flow from the interior of a hollow stop-cock radially into annular grooves provided either in the stop-cock itself or in the wall of its engaging shell; or whether the shell itself has the form of a vessel to contain mercury and supply the latter to such annular grooves for joint sealing purposes.

Other features and advantages of our invention will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View of a stop-cock device wherein the mercury supply is communicated from the interior of the closure element to external sealing grooves therein. Fig. 2 is a transverse section, on an enlarged scale, on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Big. 3 is a vertical sectional view of a stop cock device wherein the mercury supply is communicated to the sealing grooves from an external supply.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4: of

5 is a vertical sectional View of a modified form of device wherein the shell element has the form of a vessel, with an external by-pass connecting its upper and lower portions.

Fig. 6 is a similar view of a further modification without the by-pass,

Fig. i is a similar view of a still further modification, wherein: the by-pass is pro vided between the closure and shell elements.

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8-8 ofv ig. 9 is a section on the line 9--9 of Fig. 7, and Fig. l0 shows a further modification. .The structure of Figs. 1 and 2 comprehends, in highly desirable form, both the fundamental features of our invention, viz.': the provision for sealing bands of mercury to lie, between the closure and shell elements, at both sides of the valve apertures by which communication is opened and closed through the stopcock; and also means whereby the mercury employed as a seal is compactly contained within and sup- I 1 pliedfrom the interior of the closure ele- Secondly, our invention comprehends the ment, without the use of external containing or by-pass means of any character.

bus, in said Figs. 1 and.2, let 1 indicate the shell element of the device, havin the usual branch pipes 2, 3, extending there rom, and let 4 indicate the closure element. As seen, the closure element 4 is in the form of a hollow vessel, whose body portion is closed at its base5, toward which said body portion tapers, while having a ground external surface, to seat closely within the ground interior surface of the shell element 1, which latter is of corresponding tapered conformation, according to usual practice in stopcock manufacture. Also the closure element 4 has a hollow head portion 6 in communication therewith by the neck 7 the head portion serving the function of a handle by which the closure element may be manipulated. The said closure element is to com tain mercury, which may be introduced therein through a tubular extension 8, of the head portion 6, and a stopper 9, with an air vent 9, may be provided for said extension 8, to prevent spilling of the mercury contents. Instead of the stopper 9, or in addition thereto, we may provide a distensible cap, as of soft rubber, tobe capable of yield ing in case of expansion of the closure contents, which might force out a usual form of stopper like that indicated at 9.

The closure element 4, which is provided with a transverse tube 10, opening at opposite ends through the wall of said elementsaid tube 1.0 being here shown as inclined that it may register with branches 2, 3, arranged in different horizontal planes in their relation with the shell element 1has its wall perforated by orifices 11, which, respectively, communicate with annular grooves or channels 12, 13, formed in the outer, ground seat of said closure element, said grooves or channels lying, respectively, above and below the tube 10; Hence, with the stop-cock elements 1 and 4 assembled, and the element 4 charged with mercury, the latter will flow through the orifices l1 and fill both of the grooves or channels 12, 13, which thus constitute mercury seals that hermetically inclose the joint or valve portion of the stop-cock, thus positively and absolutely preventing the escape of air or gases in transit through the device or while held in one branch.

In the modified form of device exhibited in Figs. 3 and 4, the shell element 14 is shown as open at both ends, and the closure element 15 as solid, with annular grooves or channels 16, 17, which respectively are charged with mercury from an external tube 18, whose opposite ends connect with orifices through the shell element 14, that register with said grooves or channels when the stopcock elements are assembled, the supply tube 18, having a reception branch 19, which may be provided witha distensible cap 20, as and for the purposes previously recited.

The modified form of device represented in Figs. 5 and 8, differs from the foregoing in that the shell element itself here becomes the mercury container, said shell element, as 21, having the form of a vessel, with closed base 22, and an open top 23, for the admission of mercury, while, if desired, suitable covering means (not shown) may be employed for said open top. The closure ele- .ment 24, is solid in this form of our invention, and has the annular grooves or channels 25, 26. There is also an expansion tube 27, that connects the base and upper portions of the shell element. In practice, the shell element is charged with mercury, and then the closure element 24, is introduced therein,

the displacement of mercury thereby in the base of the shell element causing the mercury to well up through a vertical groove 24, along element 24, into the groove or channel 26, and also causing mercury from the upper shell portion to flow down through a Vertical groove 24", along element-24, into the groove or channel 25. The expansion tube 27, instead of connecting with the upper shell portion may be open to the atmosphere at its upper end, as indicated in dotted mes.

The modified form of stop-cock device of Fig. 6 shows the closure element 28, as solid except for its diagonally transverse communicating passage 29. In this example, the shell element 30, has the form of a vessel with closed base 31, to which there is applied an opening 32, provided with a distensible cap 32 to allow for expansion.

Said shell element 30, is provided on its inner surface with the annular grooves or channels 33, 34, and mercury, with which said shell element is to be charged, will upon displacement by the entering closure element, well up between the adjacent surfaces of the closure and shell elements to fill the groove 33, thegroove 34 being supplied through a vertical groove 34.

In the further modified form of our invention, illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, the closure element 35, is of solid character and the shell element 36, is open ended, thus permitting the closure element when inserted in said shell element, to project throu h the bottom portion thereof. The said s ell element 36, is provided with internal grooves or channels 37, 38, and these grooves or channels communicate by means of vertical grooves 39, with each other and with the cup-like upper portion or mouth 40, of the shell element. Thus, when the closure element is fitted within the shell element, mercury poured into the upper portion 40, of the shell element, will gravitate through the rooves 39, into the respective grooves or c annels 37, 38.

Also in Fig. 7 we have shown means for tying the closure element to the shell element to prevent accidental withdrawal of one from the other. 'While this tic or connecting feature may be of any suitable character, and is applicable in some manner to the other forms of our invention, it is represented in Fig. 7 as comprising an aperture 41, through the exposed lower end of closure element 35, said aperture being adapted to receive a spring member 42, which is caused to lie tensionally against the under surface of a flange 43, provided at the lower end of the shell element 36.

In Fig. 10 will be seen a form of our in vention wherein the shell element 42, serves as the mercury sealing means at top and bottom of the closure element 43, said shell element 42 having a closed base, while the with orifices through which mercury from closure element is hollow, with a filling aperture 454, to receive mercury, and discharge orifices 45, 45, which respectively permit the outflow of mercury into the upper and lower portions of the shell element,

to there form the respective seals at both.

sides of the communicable means through the stopcock elements, without resorting to the use of annular groovesin either element.

Variations may be resorted towithin the spirit and scope of our invention and parts thereof used without others a We claim 1. In a stop-cock device, in combination, an open ended shell element, a hollow closure element to comprise a source of mercury supply, said elements interfitting and havin transversely communicable means, inclu ing a tubular passage extended through said closure element, one of said elements having annular grooves at both sides of said communicable means, with orifices through which mercury from said supply source may enter said grooves to form a packing seal.

2. In a stop-cock sure element having an entrance and serving to comprise a source of mercury supply,

a distensible, removable cover for said entrance, said elements interfitting and having transversely communicable means, and one of said elements having annular grooves at both sides of said communicable means,

said supply source may to form a packing seal.

3. In a stop-cock device having a shell enter said grooves device, in combination, an open ended shell element, a hollow cloelement and a closure element to interfit' in seating relation, said elements having trans versely communicable means, in, combination, a source of mercury supply for said device, an opening for said source, a distensible cover for said opening, and means for lodging mercury from said supply source as a packing seal at bdth sides of said communicable means.

4:. In a stop-cock device having a shell element and a closure element to interfit in seating relation, said elements having transverselycommunioable means, in combination, a source of mercury supply for ,said device, an opening-to said source, a stopper for said opening, said stopper having an air vent, and means for lodging mercury from said supply source as a pack ing seal at both sides of said communicable means.

5. In a stop-cock device, in combination,

va shell element comprising a source of merthis 13th day of Se tember, A. D. 1919.

AUGU T EIMER. WILHELM T. WIEGAND. 

